Comment for a chance to win SAPPHIRE AND DIAMOND EARRINGS

Last June my son, Travis, or Son One as I call him (some of you might remember him as RT’s Mr. Romance runner-up from a few years back–tee hee–you cannot imagine how fun it is to tease him about that) got married to a gorgeous young woman from Cameroon. Gorgeous young woman, as it happens, has an equally gorgeous son, who I will hereby refer to Grandson One or G-1. Anywhoo, a few months ago I pried my wallet open and took G-1 to see Untangled. You know the film-spunky heroine, sexy hero, opinionated horse, lots of hair. It was a fun flick and just about right for a six year old…or a romance writer…since it was basically a love story.

So after the credits were rolling away and the popcorn salt had been licked from every finger I turned to G-1 and asked what his favorite part of the movie was. Now remember…he’s a boy…he’s six…he’s being raised by macho 6’3” Son One. So what do you think his answer was? Anybody? No?

Well I’ll tell you…he didn’t pause, didn’t bat an eyelash, didn’t take time to breathe. He just said, “When they kissed.” Huh? I did a double take, did another take, then stared at him agog, because when he asked what my favorite part was I had to tell him the truth; It was when spunky heroine hit sexy hero with the frying pan…which by the by was quite often. I don’t know if you remember the film, but sexy hero spent about half the movie catatonic and I was more thrilled each time cast iron met skull.

So (note clever segue here) when I began writing Uncorked, my 7th Chrissy McMullen mystery, I wasn’t exactly sure how to begin. I mean, Chrissy is one of my favorite people in the entire solar system and she really deserves to be happy. She really deserves to be happy with the guy who makes her crazy…Lieutenant Jack Rivera. But where’s the fun in that? I mean…you can’t start out all cozy right? Where you gonna go from there?

With that thought in mind, I opened the book with a knock down drag out fight. In fact, in chapter one, Chrissy’s dating another guy. Granted, she can rarely remember Other Guy’s name when Rivera is within shouting distance, but she assures the good lieutenant that‘s she‘s crazy about…about…what’s his face. It made for tons of sexual tension. And if there’s anything I like better than seeing a guy hit in the head with a frying pan, it’s sexual tension.

So what about you? What’s your favorite part of a romance, the fighting or the flirting? Or do you need both to make it work?

To celebrate the online release of Uncorked, my 7th Chrissy McMullen novel, I’m giving away a pair of sapphire and diamond earrings to one much appreciated commenter.

Visit Lois’s website for news and information on her newest release, and a chance to win an Amazon gift card and be sure to check out Uncorked! You can follow Lois on Facebook and keep track of the Chrissy McMullen series here. Follow LoisGreiman on Twitter, too!

This month, Rita-winning author Karen Templeton kicks of the latest Harlequin Special Edition series: THE FORTUNES OF TEXAS…WHIRLWIND ROMANCE. Her book, FORTUNE’S CINDERELLA, is the first of six books in the continuing saga of one of the compelling Fortune family.

* So glad you could join us today, Karen, where did you get the idea for FORTUNE’S CINDERELLA?

From Harlequin’s editorial department, actually. <g> Since FC is part of the ongoing Fortunes of Texas continuity series for Special Edition, I was given a brief overview of the storyline, as well as the character types, which I then expanded on to make them “mine.” Kind of like an actor getting a script (only I then had to write the script, too!).

* Tell us about the hero of the book? Why will we fall in love with him?

Interestingly, I tend to write mostly blue-collar or “everyday” heroes, so writing a rich dude is a stretch. A fun stretch, but a stretch. Scott Fortune was originally supposed to be on the alpha side, too…but that’s even more of a stretch for me than the wealthy thing! It’s the betas that make my knees weak! However, there’s a lot to be said for the alpha protective streak, too…and boy, is Scott protective. To the point where he’s willing to put his posterior on the line with his family in order to take care of the heroine – and how can you not fall in love with someone who does that? But what makes him even more swoon-worthy is that, for all he’s used to manipulating people and events to make things go his way, he quickly learns that the business of love doesn’t work that way…and that sometimes you have to let things unfold however they’re going to. You know, let the other person call the shots some times? A good man, that Scott.

* Tell us about the heroine? Why is she the perfect woman for the hero?

Christina Hastings really is a modern-day Cinderella, a snack bar waitress living in a seedy apartment complex (with her trusty sidekick, Gumbo, a hound who lives to love) while she’s struggling to finish up her college degree before she turns eighty. But although she has little in the way of material things, she’s got enough spirit for ten people…as well as an unshakeable conviction that if you don’t go after what you really want in life, what’s the point of living? Which makes Scott – who’s spent way too many years doing what’s been expected of him, not necessarily what’s best for him – reassess a thing or six. And fall in love in the process.

* What life lessons do your H/H have to learn before they can find their happily-ever-after?

This story is all about letting go of preconceived notions, of who we are and what we think we deserve…or not. That you can’t talk the talk about life being too short to go after your dreams, and then be afraid to take a chance on what could be the biggest blessing you’ll ever know.

* Is there any particular significance in the setting?

Since the entire series has been set in and around fictional Red Rock, Texas, I didn’t get to make up that part. J However, I did find a whole lot of symbolism in those wide open spaces, especially for big-city boy Scott – who decides to trade all those imposed expectations for what, in comparison, feels like infinite possibilities.

* If this is part of a continuity, tell us about your experience working on connected stories with other authors.

In my case, working with the other authors – Marie Ferrarella, Judy Duarte, Nancy Robards Thompson, Susan Crosby and Allison Leigh – was an absolute delight. We have a great time brainstorming plot points and character details with each other, and in my mind at least, this is going to be the Best. Series. Ever. LOL!

* What was the most difficult scene for you to write?

Oh, man – the first three chapters? Take an entire family, add a huge supporting cast, toss in a tornado and an aftermath hospital scene with literally three dozen speaking parts…oy. I *never* write opening scenes with that many people, but in this case, because I was setting up the whole series, I had no choice. All I could do was try to visualize it from a cinematic standpoint, then write it all out as succinctly as possible. Early feedback has been very positive, but shoot me if I ever willing do something like that again! <g>

* Can you share if there were any real-life inspirations for a particular scene or character in the book?

Gumbo! We have our own little hound mix – named Petey – who looks like somebody stuck a beagle head on a corgi body. And he’s every bit as nuts – and as lovestruck – as Gumbo. And the Art Department even put a dog who looks like him on the back cover. Score!

* What do you feel are some of your strengths as a writer and how did those show up in this particular book?

I realized early on I have a pretty good ear for speech patterns/syntax, which make it easier to “hear” my characters – and once I do, they pretty much tell their own stories. It took no time at all to hear Christina, although Scott took a bit more work. But once I did, their dialogue – especially in their first big scene together, when they’re trapped in the rubble after the tornado – just flowed. Very fun scene to write.

* Any interesting tidbits of information you discovered while researching this book?

Yeah. That San Antonio – the general area where the book is set – rarely gets tornadoes. Oops. So we all had to work that fact into the overall storyline to make it plausible!

* Why will readers enjoy this book?

Because Scott is yummy and Christina is adorable and Gumbo is a hoot and a half. <g>

Please leave a comment or ask Karen a question for a chance to win a copy of FORTUNE’S CINDERELLA!

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Since 1998, two-time RITA award winner Karen Templeton has written more than 35 heart-tugging, family-centric romances for Harlequin. An east coast native, she’s called New Mexico home for more than 25 years, where she lives with an ever-changing number of her five sons, two dogs, two cats, and the world’s oldest Beta fish.

   Dear Terri and the Jaunty Quills, thank you so much for inviting me to blog with you.  I hope I don’t let the team down, however, because, far from being jaunty, I’m a particularly droopy quill at the moment — and no, that’s not a tacky sexual metaphor it’s the plain truth. I’m downunder and in a summer heatwave — 104F and the air-con has broken down, so I’m wilting. . .

But still, I’m so pleased to be visiting that I will dip my quill in ice-water (not a rude metaphor either) and forge ahead.

Today I want to talk about “the eye of the beholder.”

One of my favorite scenes in a romance is where the hero sees — really sees —the heroine. It’s one of the first signs that he is truly her hero — he starts to notice things about her that no-one else — not even the heroine — does. He sees her true self, not the ordinary person everyone else sees, but someone special, the woman she will become. Transformed by love.

I’m not sure how popular this is with readers. I love it, but I’ve heard some readers say they want a heroine to be self-confident from the get-go. Me, I like more of a journey.

I like a heroine who can get things done, who is smart and courageous in an everyday sense, who will stand up for herself and others where necessary. But I also like her to have some secret vulnerability, and for me, that’s where the hero comes in, because for me, that’s one area in which he shows he’s a hero.

So my heroines aren’t always conventionally beautiful. That’s particularly true of Isabella, my heroine in my new book, BRIDE BY MISTAKE. Not that Bella’s a gargoyle or anything — just that she’s known she’s plain since she was a kid. Had her nose regularly rubbed in the fact, actually. She’s the only daughter of a widowed father and his highest compliment was that she was almost as good as a son. Almost.

War breaks out in Spain (Napoleon) and Bella’s father is killed. His last words are a warning that a forced marriage is planned by a horrid cousin, and Bella must flee to her aunt at the convent of the Broken Angel. She’s just thirteen…

On the way, Bella is attacked, but is rescued by a young English officer, my hero, Luke Ripton — tall, dark and beautiful as an archangel. He rescues her from the forced marriage by marrying her himself. He then escorts her to her aunt in the convent and rides away to war.

Luke never expects to live long enough for it to matter. But when my story starts, the war is over, the annulment is denied, and Luke, now Lord Ripton must come to Spain to collect a wife he’d almost forgotten and doesn’t particularly want.
And Bella? For years she waited, like a princess in a tower, dreaming of her prince, but by now those dreams have withered on the vine. She’s fed up with waiting, she’s about to turn twenty-one and is determined to leave the convent and make her own life.
Of course, that’s when Luke arrives. . . (There’s an excerpt on my website of that scene)

Bella, having arrived at the convent with nothing, has no pretty clothes but her friends in the convent dress her up, curl her hair, dust her skin in rice flour and paint her lips into a small fashionable bow.

This, then was her husband. Isabella tried not to stare.
He was even more beautiful than she remembered. Eight years ago she’d seen him with a child’s eye. But she was a child no longer and he was… he was breathtaking. Tall, dark, his skin burnished with the sun, a rich dark-gold flush along his cheekbones and such fine cheekbones they were, too. His nose was a strong, straight blade, his mouth, severe and beautiful. And his eyes, dark, so dark they looked black, but she knew from before they were the darkest blue she had ever seen. There was no sign of blue now.
She swallowed and held her head higher, knowing what he would see in her, knowing they were ill-matched. The girls had done their best to make her look as beautiful as they could. It wasn’t their fault she looked as she did. She knew she’d never make a beauty. She desperately wished she looked pretty for him.
But she could see in his eyes she didn’t.
Dear God but it was Mama and Papa again, Papa the handsome eagle soaring high and Mama the plain, dowdy little pigeon, bleeding with love for a husband who never looked twice at her.
Mama’s words rose unbidden to her mind. Guard your heart, my little one, for love is pain. Love is nothing but pain.

And Luke sees a thin, young woman with a too-big nose, garishly made up and covered in frills. But the second time he sees her. . . ahh, the second time. . . That’s the moment for me. And that’s just the start of their journey. . .

So what about you? Do you like a heroine with secret vulnerabilities? Or do you want her to be fully confident and kick-ass? What’s the most romantic scene you can think of in a book? I’m giving a book away to someone who leaves a comment.

Anne

   Anne Gracie spent her childhood and youth on the move, thanks to her father’s job, which took them around the world. The gypsy life taught her that humor & love are universal languages and that favorite books can take you home, wherever you are.

Anne started her first novel while backpacking solo around the world. Originally published by Harlequin, she’s since written nine ST historical romances for Berkley and a novelization of the first “The Tudors” TV series. Anne is a former president of Romance Writers of Australia, a three time RITA finalist, has twice won the Romantic Book of the Year (Australia) and the National Reader’s Choice Award (USA) and has been listed in Library Journal (USA) best books of the year. For more info about Anne and her work –

Website       Facebook     Tweet with me

The Quills are happy to welcome NYT Best Selling Author Victoria Alexander.  How’s your Christmas preparations going, Victoria? 

I love this time of year, even if I do tend to go just a tiny bit insane. Okay, my family would say I go more than a tiny bit. Right now, I’m trying to get ready for Christmas, for two parties at my house and for my kids to both be home. Add to that trying to promote my latest book—His Mistress by Christmas—my upcoming book—My Wicked Little Lies (out January 31^st) and write a new Christmas book for next year. Who wouldn’t be insane?

   But I have had a revelation. In the book I’m currently working on (right now called What Happens at Christmas) my heroine is trying to provide the perfect Dickensian Christmas for a prince she is trying to impress. Nothing, of course, is going well. And it dawned on me that striving for perfection at Christmas is exactly what I do and exactly what drives me nuts.

 I keep trying to have the magical, perfect Christmases I remember from my childhood. Where the decorations were perfect and the tree was perfect and the holiday treats were perfect and everyone received the perfect gift and everything was, well, perfect. I want my kids to have those same sort of memories. But my memories must be clouded by the passage of time. My childhood Christmases couldn’t possibly have been perfect. Real life is not perfect.

 And, you know, when I try to remember specifics about those years, I can only really remember one. I grew up in the Air Force and one year, my dad was away.  A few days before Christmas, my mom said she had a special present for me and I should go look by the tree. So I went into the living room and there was my dad. I remember how he hugged me and how his uniform was all cold from being outside and how he smelled of frosty air and love.  And that was the best Christmas present I ever got. It was perfect.

            So, it doesn’t really matter if everything is perfect. If the tree falls down. If dinner is three hours late. If you have a small fire . . .

            I am taking deep breaths and in spite of my annual chaos, I am trying to adopt a new attitude. Because I have finally realized, the magic of Christmas has nothing to do with perfect. As long as you are with the people you love, whether in person or just in spirit, Christmas will always be perfect.

 What is the most perfect gift you ever received at Christmas?

 Everyone who comments will be entered into a drawing to win a copy of  His Pefect Mistress.  The winner will be announced Sunday night at 9 pm so check back then!

I write cowboy stories, so you know hats are important. In my debut, A Man of His Word, the hero, Dan Armstrong, has a serious problem with his hat—it gets shot clean off his head by page 2. It was bad enough that someone took an unprovoked shot at him—but that was his favorite hat, and where Dan comes from (that would be Texas), a man doesn’t go without a hat. He feels under attack and underdressed.

Dan does pick up a new hat, and he does get to the bottom of who killed his first one. Of course it was our heroine, Rosebud Donnelly, who a) wasn’t trying to hit him and b) thought Dan was someone else. One of the long-standing tensions between them is whether or not Rosebud will admit to pulling the trigger. Eventually, she offers to buy Dan a new hat. Ever the gentleman, he refuses.

As you can see, hats are important to cowboys. And I write about cowboys. You know what this means, don’t you?

Yes. I needed a hat. More specifically, I needed a cowboy hat.

There’s a slight problem with that, though. I live east of the Mississippi River, the traditional dividing line between the West and the East. As in, my little town in Illinois is not the cow capital of anything. As in, no one else here wears a hat. At least not inside city limits, anyway. I live in a neighborhood full of Victorian homes. Nary a horse in sight.

But I write cowboys. I needed a hat.

Now, I’m not proud of this next part. I was angling for a hat (and the boots to match) for Christmas, so I was telling my mom about my authorial-based wardrobe needs. My father was in his recliner. He piped up with, “I have a hat you can have.”

So I go into his closet and pull out the cowboy hat he bought on the family vacation to Las Vegas (which, it should be noted, is in The West) twenty years ago. The sad part? It fit.

Yes. My head is the same size as my father’s. I feel shame at this.

So, the hat:

Yes. That’s definitely my father’s hat. On my head.

Several people (gently) pointed out to me that perhaps this particular hat was not designed with the feminine sensibility in mind. (In other words, my sisters forbade me to ever leave the house with that hat on my head.)

Thus began the second quest for a hat. This time, I got lucky. I was in Branson, MO (well west of the Mississippi, it should be noted!) and a small store downtown was chock-full cowhide—and hats.

I put this hat on my head, and voila! I looked like a western romance author!

 So in my neighborhood, I’m notable not for being the author, but for walking my dog in a cowboy hat. (Don’t tell my sisters—it doesn’t go with the tennis shoes at all, but I don’t care.) Like my hero, Dan, I feel a little underdressed without it.

What accessory do you feel underdressed without? I’m giving away a signed copy of A Man of His Word to one commenter below. All comments will be entered to win the Locket of Love Jewelry Grand Prize!

This post is brought to you as part of the A Man of His Word Blog Tour. U.S. residents only. For a complete tour schedule and rules, visit www.sarahmanderson.com. Comments on this blog will be entered to win a signed copy of A Man of His Word. All blog comments are added to the Jewelry Grand Prize list. Jewelry Grand Prize announced on January 1st, 2012 to one randomly drawn name on the list. Next tour stop is Limecello on December 15th.

A Man of His Word Blurb: Attorney Rosebud Donnelly has a case to win. And she never lets anyone see her sweat. But her first meeting with Dan Armstrong doesn’t go according to script. No one warned her that the COO of the company she’s fighting would be so…manly. From his storm-colored eyes to his well-worn boots, Dan is an honest-to-goodness cowboy. But is he honest? Her yearning for the Texas tycoon goes against reason, against family loyalty, against everything she thought she believed in. And yet, in Dan’s strong arms, Rosebud feels she might be ready to risk everything for one more kiss….

A Man of His Word is available! Visit your favorite bookseller, at Amazon, or for the Nook.

Writing has always been like therapy for me. Any time I’ve had a problem, I’ve turned to journaling to help sort through my thoughts. As a teen, I wrote poems to express the things I grappled with on the road to figuring out where I belonged in the world. So I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that I returned to writing during a difficult time in my life.

At first it was a means of escape from the stress, but then it became something so much more. It became a way for me to sort through what really mattered and revealed a new road I needed to follow. Here I am three years later with four books written—book one never to see the light of day—a fifth book in the works, several short stories published in a magazine, and a novella recently released as part of an anthology, A Summons from the Duke (Regency Christmas Summons Collection 2).

Have you ever been drawn to a project but you had a thousand reasons why you couldn’t participate? That was me a few months ago. The writers in my critique group had an idea to create a collection of novellas that were connected while still being able to stand alone. The premise is the Duke of Danby has summoned his wayward grandchildren to Yorkshire for Christmas, and he has matchmaking on his mind. Each writer took a grandchild and told his or her story of falling in love.

The idea appealed to me, but I didn’t think I could pull it off. I was in the middle of revising my second book for Sourcebooks and finishing up a third book for a December deadline. I told my group I would love to be part of the anthology, but there just wasn’t time. But like an annoying tickle at the back of the throat, I couldn’t ignore the pull to be involved. As their ideas flew back and forth through email, one took root in my mind. I wrote the first scene in thirty minutes and I was hooked.

It’s interesting that this small project was what helped me define what I believe deep down is important. You’ll often hear authors talk about theme. Each book may have a separate idea, but over several books recurring themes will emerge. It wasn’t until I wrote my story “Twice Upon a Time” that I realized what my recurring themes are: Love me, love my family (which may or may not be connected by blood). Nothing is ever what it seems on the surface, so withhold judgment until you know the real person. And of course, love will prevail.

I think this may be the reason we as readers are drawn to certain authors or stories. Deep down we hold similar values and the stories tap into that fountain of meaning for us. My favorite stories seem to suggest this: I Know this Much is True by Wally Lamb, Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. All three stories are about imperfect families the protagonist loves anyway, discovering the truth about another, and love prevailing in the end.

What are your favorite stories, and do they have any common themes? (Today one commenter will win a copy of A Summons from the Duke, and everyone who leaves a comment will be entered into the Regency Christmas Summons Prize Extravaganza for a chance to win books, gift cards, and a Kindle. Please remember to include your email address to enter the drawing. Winners will be announced December 15th.)

Excerpt set up:
Julian Beckford, grandson to Duke of Danby, is up to his top-boots in one of his cousin’s mad schemes only days after his return to England. Baron Penlow wants to engage an actress to play his wife over the holidays at Danby Castle, and he has asked for Julian’s assistance in casting the role. Here’s a sneak peek at their evening…

Excerpt:
Julian nodded. “She’s the one.”

He would never trust his judgment again. He’d chosen a wildcat.

Samantha loves to hear from readers. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads. To learn more about Samantha’s books and appearances, you may visit her website.

Firstly I’d like to say what a great pleasure it is to have been invited to blog at the Sisterhood of the Jaunty Quills today and thank you very much to the wonderful Shana Galen for inviting me.

A reader pointed out to me recently that a lot of my books feature an instantaneous attraction between the hero and heroine. Sometimes they act on it pretty quickly, other times they don’t, but in almost all cases they set eyes on each other and it’s a case of lust if not love at first sight.

Desired, my new book, out next week, is slightly different because it is a marriage of convenience story or perhaps more accurately, a betrothal of convenience story. Tess, the heroine, has been unhappily married before and has absolutely no desire to wed for anything other than mutual benefit. In contrast Owen, the hero, is very attracted to a fantasy version of Tess, the beautiful, scandalous widow with the bad reputation. Despite this attraction he woos her slowly and it is only as he gets to know her properly that Owen discovers that the real Tess is completely different from his somewhat heated imaginings.

Tess is not accustomed to feeling physical attraction. In fact she has never felt it in her life. Her feelings for Owen disturb her because she is drawn to him but it is his protectiveness, his intelligence and his chivalry that she falls in love with first. On her wedding night she runs from him but what she has not yet realised is that she has already started to trust him. Owen has courted her with such patience and sincerity that she knows he would never hurt her. She then has to take the step of deciding if she can trust him enough to confront her fears and give herself to him. She is committed emotionally to him even though she doesn’t yet realise it. The question is whether she can commit to him physically too.

I haven’t written a marriage of convenience story for years and it was a great pleasure to revisit the idea for Desired. There’s something very appealing about the idea of a couple who are thrown together through need or circumstance getting to know each other and then finding a love that can be as powerful as it is unexpected. The marriage of convenience story is said to be a favourite with historical romance readers but what do you think? Do you enjoy the slow burn as characters get to know each other and fall in love or do you prefer the instant attraction as eyes meet across a crowded ballroom? Or both? I have a copy of Desired to give away to one commenter.

Congrats to Minna! You’re the randomly selected winner of Colleen’s book, THE PHANTOM OF THE FRENCH QUARTER. Check you inbox or email me at shana@shanagalen.com

The Lure of the Dangerous Hero by Colleen Thompson

Marcus Le Carpentier had her in his sights. So ethereal, so fragile, she looked as though she might crumble into dust with the weight of the slivered sunbeam that pierced the fog layers like the devil’s darning needle.

Like the light, his caress came from a distance, focused by a lens that captured the rising bands of moisture, the single, slanting ray and the wings of the stone angel atop the mossy tomb. He blew back thick dark hair from darker eyes, his skin tightening with delicious anticipation.

—From Phantom of the French Quarter,
Harlequin Intrigue

In real life, he’d be frightening—-this stranger in the shadows, intent on watching your every movement (and in a dawn-tinted New Orleans cemetery, of all places!) He’d cause your heart to beat faster, all right, but you’d probably be reaching for your cell phone, or maybe even a can of mace.

In the world of a good book, however, the stranger in the shadows can be as seductive as he is scary. Perhaps part of the sexiness is the element of danger, the mystery that’s impervious to a quick Google search or a history of all-too-out-there comments on his Facebook page. (Talk about something that destroys the mystery!)

Let’s face it, one of the reasons we read romance is to vicariously enjoy the thrill of getting to know a potential lover for the first time, to the peeling back of layer after delicious layer to get to a treasure well worth knowing. And the best part is, we can experience the journey—-even one made with a potentially dangerous stranger in the shadows—-from the safety of our favorite reading nook.

In Phantom of the French Quarter, Marcus Le Carpentier is not only a photographer of funerary art, he’s a man on the run from a potentially deadly secret. Would that be the guy you want to go out with on a blind date? Probably not. But who wants to read a romance where the road to true love is wisely-chosen and convenient? (Snooze-fest!)

So who’s your favorite “dangerous hero” from a book you’ve read or movie you’ve enjoyed? Identify the guy, the source, and yourself in the comments for a chance to win an autographed copy of Phantom of the French Quarter.

Anna is the randomly chosen winner of Vanessa Kelly’s My Favorite Countess. Anna, check your Inbox or email me at shana@shanagalen.com